Seconds and Chance
by lilianthorn
Summary: Starting with the prologue, we enter an au where Harry saves Snape and they become friends. There may be slash, there may be het, there may be threesomes on Dumbledore's desk, we'll see.
1. Chapter 1

"I'm not saying you should'nt have, Harry," Hermione brushed a hair away from her sweaty face as she, Harry and Ron walked hastily back up to the castle, "it's just...why?"

"Yeah mate, that was Snape," Ron's outburst was greeted by a red-faced Harry turning on them both.

"Because I'm NOT what Voldemort says. I save lives when I can, not let them slip away for no reason. I spared Wormtail and now Snape. So what? I wish nobody had to die, even Tom Riddle! There I said it; I'm not like him!" Harry's words quieted them both. Harry slipped away at the castle to get to Dumbledore's office to use Snape's tears in the penseive. He thought back over how it had happened:

_Silver tears fells from Severus Snape's eyes, he pleaded for something to contain them. Hermione pulled out a vial and Harry shoved his hands into his pockets at the same time trying to find anything that might help. Then he found it; the bezoar he had slipped into his pocket from Shell cottage. It had been merely an afterthought when he'd asked Fleur for supplies, she had produced that. It had felt right at the time. Then when Snape lay in the Shrieking Shack bleeding out, Nagini's poison keeping the wounds infested and bleeding, Harry found it and without a thought, shoved it into Snape's mouth as Hermione used her vial to capture the falling tears. Snape grabbed Harry's hand and said, "look at me". Harry heard the faint whisper, "legilimens" and he found himself watching again as Snape repaired the horrific wound Harry had caused with Snape's own curse. Harry hadn't wanted to see this, not now, but Snape whispered_, _"listen." Harry listened and then he heard it, the enchantment. He pulled out his wand and with a clenched throat began faintly to recite the words. His voice gained strength as color came back into Snape's face. The bleeding stopped and Snape stared at Harry a moment then disappareted. _

After Harry watched the memory, he sat and cried for his mother and Severus and his fate. Now he was glad he had saved the man's life, only to be doomed to lose his own.


	2. Chapter 2

a/n: We are jumping to a couple days post-war, the only thing changed besides Severus being saved is that Bellatrix and Tonks survived; they are tough cookies. FYI: the description lists this as a Snarry, but it is actually a Harry/Narcissa/Snape thing.

Harry felt the warm hand clutching his chest again, like it had in the Forbidden Forest and knew he was dreaming this dream again. It was the better of the recurring dreams of the war so he settled in to watch. Narcissa Malfoy's hair tickled his cheek, smelling softly of lavender irises. Her nails pierced his skin so enticingingly, instead of laying still like in the Forest, he turned slowly to face her and their lips met...Harry woke up kissing his pillow and pressing his hips and sore morning wood against the bed. He sighed and got up.

Headmistress McGonagall lifted her robe to step gingerly over rubble and broken glass to reach the broken gryphon. "Hello Xander, you've seen better days. Haven't you?" A stone eye opened and the statue groaned. "So tell me how I fix you, your services are needed."

"You must levitate my parts to their proper positions then use the flesh mending spell to heal me as any living being." Xander coughed out.

"That takes two wands and some very delicate magics at that," McGonagall sighed. Just then a figure de-illusioned himself beside her asking softly, "may I help?" "Severus!," McGonagall clutched her chest and rounded on him, "you're supposed to be in hiding until the trial is over, what are you doing?"

Severus reached out and touched the statues' shoulder tenderly, "I want to help." Together they repaired the statue which took several hours of levitating and mending. "We'll need to let him rest a day before he can shapeship for the repair spell, that takes alot from him." McGonagall panted, leaning against the wall as the gryphon stretched his wings thankfully. "Tea, Severus?"

"Sounds lovely," he answered, "How's Harry?" he added thoughtfully.

Harry was weaving through the crowd in Diagon Alley, following a certain light and dark coif he knew only too well. His heart pounded nearly as much as it had going into the Forest that fateful night. It still mystified him that he survived at all. And now he found the woman who saved his life after it was strangely resilient even to the avada kedavra spell for the second time, quite fascinating. He quizzed his friend Tonks about her aunt, Narcissa. But she had never known her much as she was never a Death Eater despite being married to one and Tonks didn't have a chance to just chit chat with that side of her mother's family. Tonks had only known what was public knowledge; that Narcissa Malfoy nee Black was a devoted mother who loved her son more than life itself.

Harry finally lost her in the crowd and stopped, looking around frantically for what he had lost. Up on his toes he saw many things, but no Narcissa. "Looking for me?" Harry nearly lost his balance as he whirled about on one toe and swung out his arms futilely to keep from falling. He ended up on one knee in front of the skirt of his former quarry. "Mrs. Malfoy!" he gasped. Clambering up to his feet he met her face to face and found she was clutching her gloves and bore a look of importance, or was it disdain?

"Mr. Potter, it is my understanding that you are arguing for the innocence of my friend, Severus Snape. I wish to offer my thanks." Narcissa Malfoy's voice was so soft and sweet, Harry was nearly entranced, but her eyes were so cold to him, he felt incredulous. It came out in his reaction.

Harry rolled his eyes and muttered, "yeah, ok, you're welcome." and looked away. There was a very awkward bit of silence where for a moment he wanted her to leave him be. She began to turn away but stopped, saying in a thick voice, "I...uh, don't think muggles...are, um...filthy." Then she turned on her heel and strode away as if spooked by admitting what was in her mind a huge and naughty secret. Harry had no idea what to make of the encounter.


End file.
